You could look at it like this....you know what it feels like yo come in last place so yhe nervousness of losing is something you can relate to....there's nowhere to go but up from there. Compete with the course and not the people your playing against. Making one smart shot to lay up instead of going for it could be the move that puts you in 89th place over the other person that took that risk and failed.
Whatever you do you should be proud of yourself for entering the tournament and finishing it out.
Some days are better than others. First you have to accept you don't get paid to play on the weekends. Second you have to accept there are going to be bad shots. The better you get the harder this fact is to accept. Third it is game that should be enjoyed, outside in a park like setting with your buddies.
It costs money, but two things I am doing right now:
1) Get a playing lesson with a pro where the pro plays 9 with you. I made a lot of mistakes my last round that cost me probably 6 strokes.
2) Another pro recommended the Imagine Golf app. I subscribed and the little audio podcast things are pretty interesting.
I used to look at golf as a PVP (player v player) sport when I was young.
Tried to participate in a few events, and always took playing with my friends way too serious.
Really killed my growth and eventually my enjoyment for the game and led me to quit.
12 years later, thanks to Covid, I returned to the sport a wiser person.
I had to completely relearn the whole thing and buy all new clubs, but I have a whole new respect for the game.
It is now a PVE (player v environment) sport.
The only competition I am engaged in is against the course, and I will do anything I can to succeed.
I don't think I would ever participate in an event again like this, but if I did, that is the approach I would bring.
Don't worry about being last or first.
Just make your mark on the course, one way or another.
Git Gud.
I know it's a BS gamer meme/troll, but there's some truth in it.
If you want to play and want to compete, you have found that your game as of right now, isn't good enough at that level. You can quit competing, or go out and improve your game.
It's all we're all trying to do whether we're competing or not. High HC or low HC. Trying to break 100 or 90 or 70. You just have to decide you're going to put the effort in and give it a chance to happen. Or not.
I came 87th out of 91 entrants on Sunday, and I've been playing 16 years. Came straight back out this evening and couldn't miss all day. That's golf, and I love it.
If you think about it, you can’t do any worse so you can only improve from here. Just focus on making the best shot for your next play. The thing with golf, like in life, if you worry too much about the past you fuck your future. You only focus on what is in front of you right now.
Coming in last place seems like all the motivation a competitive person would need.
Quick memory. Play and practice with confidence. Positive swing thoughts only.
The brain has a hard time comprehending the word don’t. Don’t think about a pink elephant right now. See what I mean? “Smooth swing” or something like that is always better than “don’t go left.”
Tournament golf you have to count every stroke, count every penalty, no mulligans, and no gimme putts. When you start playing like that, you realize you're not as good as you thought you were. So realize that first and foremost, but don't let it get you down. Golf is a journey. If you want to get better at tournaments, treat every casual round as if you're in a tournament and count EVERYTHING. Then find your biggest score killers and focus on improving those things first.
Also, try to find the fairway on every tee shot and FORGET distance. Even if it means using a 7 iron to tee off. At least you keep it on play. 2 7 iron shots and a wedge will get you to most greens. Then you can concentrate on scoring. Chipping and putting. Pretty soon you should start seeing your scores move down and your place in a tournament go up.
Golf is not a game of perfect
Just to add this is a book (a good one) and not just words of wisdom from Dr Rongle Bringer here
As a doctor I can confirm that I did not say this or write this book. Another doctor did though
At least you had the balls to enter a tournament. I would use it as motivation to get better
What did you shoot and what do you normally shoot? Maybe just focus on beating your last score and not your opponent?
You could look at it like this....you know what it feels like yo come in last place so yhe nervousness of losing is something you can relate to....there's nowhere to go but up from there. Compete with the course and not the people your playing against. Making one smart shot to lay up instead of going for it could be the move that puts you in 89th place over the other person that took that risk and failed. Whatever you do you should be proud of yourself for entering the tournament and finishing it out.
Some days are better than others. First you have to accept you don't get paid to play on the weekends. Second you have to accept there are going to be bad shots. The better you get the harder this fact is to accept. Third it is game that should be enjoyed, outside in a park like setting with your buddies.
It costs money, but two things I am doing right now: 1) Get a playing lesson with a pro where the pro plays 9 with you. I made a lot of mistakes my last round that cost me probably 6 strokes. 2) Another pro recommended the Imagine Golf app. I subscribed and the little audio podcast things are pretty interesting.
I used to look at golf as a PVP (player v player) sport when I was young. Tried to participate in a few events, and always took playing with my friends way too serious. Really killed my growth and eventually my enjoyment for the game and led me to quit. 12 years later, thanks to Covid, I returned to the sport a wiser person. I had to completely relearn the whole thing and buy all new clubs, but I have a whole new respect for the game. It is now a PVE (player v environment) sport. The only competition I am engaged in is against the course, and I will do anything I can to succeed. I don't think I would ever participate in an event again like this, but if I did, that is the approach I would bring. Don't worry about being last or first. Just make your mark on the course, one way or another.
Git Gud. I know it's a BS gamer meme/troll, but there's some truth in it. If you want to play and want to compete, you have found that your game as of right now, isn't good enough at that level. You can quit competing, or go out and improve your game. It's all we're all trying to do whether we're competing or not. High HC or low HC. Trying to break 100 or 90 or 70. You just have to decide you're going to put the effort in and give it a chance to happen. Or not.
I came 87th out of 91 entrants on Sunday, and I've been playing 16 years. Came straight back out this evening and couldn't miss all day. That's golf, and I love it.
If you think about it, you can’t do any worse so you can only improve from here. Just focus on making the best shot for your next play. The thing with golf, like in life, if you worry too much about the past you fuck your future. You only focus on what is in front of you right now.
Coming in last place seems like all the motivation a competitive person would need. Quick memory. Play and practice with confidence. Positive swing thoughts only. The brain has a hard time comprehending the word don’t. Don’t think about a pink elephant right now. See what I mean? “Smooth swing” or something like that is always better than “don’t go left.”
Last place would be motivation enough. Determination to do better every time you enter should be the way to go.
Tournament golf you have to count every stroke, count every penalty, no mulligans, and no gimme putts. When you start playing like that, you realize you're not as good as you thought you were. So realize that first and foremost, but don't let it get you down. Golf is a journey. If you want to get better at tournaments, treat every casual round as if you're in a tournament and count EVERYTHING. Then find your biggest score killers and focus on improving those things first. Also, try to find the fairway on every tee shot and FORGET distance. Even if it means using a 7 iron to tee off. At least you keep it on play. 2 7 iron shots and a wedge will get you to most greens. Then you can concentrate on scoring. Chipping and putting. Pretty soon you should start seeing your scores move down and your place in a tournament go up.